Ways to Work Smarter

If you are working on a huge software development project or you have a million small things to do, it is still important to be able to work smarter in order to get more done. One of the greatest tips is that it is necessary to take more breaks that line up with our natural attention spans. Stretch your legs, grab a drink, check your email, or just sit back and relax. Or, if you’re really strapped for time, try switching to a different kind of task to give your mind a rest. Another great way to relax is to spend some time in nature such as taking a relaxing stroll in a park. Studies have shown that it increases motivation and memory. Lastly, it might be a good idea to check your email in the morning. Since many companies are having more remote employees, it is no surprise that some of them might be working while the others are sleeping. Checking email in the morning lets you be able to be on the same page as all the other people. Happy working and making it a wonderful day!

Ownership in Light of Technology

With the technology of today, can you definitively say who owns what? We post things online and share ideas and information through a variety of mediums such as social media, mobile applications, and other outlets. It is not black and white as to who has rights over what. And what happens when people work together to create content? On the other hand, collaboration is extremely cost effective. Even the way we gather information has evolved to be more collaborative and shared. Platforms like Twitter quickly spread information to large groups of people. Sites like Reddit, a news, entertainment, and social website allows users to submit articles and then vote the articles up or down on the list, thus determining the "top read" stories of the day. Companies like Pulse allow users to view articles on subjects they are particularly interested in. This move to a more minimalistic, shared society is more collaborative, cost-effective, and efficient. Everyone's needs are met with minimal resources. Less human and physical capital is wasted. With technology continuing to advance our lives, in combination with the sharing economy, people are paying the bills, saving for that dream vacation, working more flexible hours, collaborating and meeting new people.

Mini Cell Towers

Have you even been frustrated because you dropped an important call because of horrible services? Of course you have since it is part of having a cell phone and subscribing to a phone services. In contrast to the massive metal towers that can beam out cellular service for miles, small cells are only about the size of a wireless router, and their signals don't extend much beyond the boundaries of your home. Qualcomm sees the devices as a solution to the wireless industry's so-called spectrum crunch. Wireless spectrum -- the invisible infrastructure over which all wireless transmissions travel -- is a finite resource just like cloud services, and it is getting gobbled up by people streaming Netflix and YouTube videos on their tablets and smartphones. Small cells help address that problem by routing traffic to your mobile carrier's network via your home Internet connection, leaving more space on the airwaves for other users. Aside from those designed for home usage, there are also slightly larger cells that can be installed in places like malls and city blocks to provide more coverage space.

Technology as Babysitters

Picture this: your kid is screaming their head off over wanting that new fancy toy in the middle of the store and there is nothing that is calming them down. Enter the smartphone or tablet with Minecraft of Candy Crush. This type of pacifier has more computing power than required to put humans on the moon. As long as it works, it really doesn't matter. These wonderful computers also occupy kids while the parents just sit by quietly waiting for the batteries to run out. Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture? When these smart devices came on the market, they were shiny and the future of computing looked bright. I mean we could now see the person we were talking with over internet phone services. Now it is just business as usual since the novelty has worn off and they are your kids' virtual playground. In my day, we had actual playgrounds and we ran around playing games and saw each other in person. Any suggestions before kids forget what it is like to play outside?

Reinventing Aging

There are so many different technologies that can help redefine the way people age which are available. Despite their availability, technology has not been widely adopted by older people or their families. The reasons are easy enough to intuit: Seniors are technology-phobic, or afraid of being stigmatized; they don’t know what products are available or where to find them; or they do know, but the gadgets themselves are too expensive. There is a pretty good handle of the science of the technologies but the really problem that needs solving is a gaining of understanding of how people that age view themselves and the technology that is supposed to be helping them. Some of the technology are communication services such as cell phones and alert systems. There are even gaming apps that help with different cognitive functions. Many people have not considered this issue but it going to hit like a tidal wave in about 2050 with the aging population.

Robots Kicking Butt

Some people are convinced that the robots are going to take over the world in one way or another. And you thought that all that software development was just for good. Here are a couple examples of robots taking over. At the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham, England, a robot made from a Samsung Galaxy 4 smartphone and Lego Mindstorms components established a new world’s record for solving a 4×4×4 Rubik’s Cube. The Cubestormer 3 needed just 3.25 seconds to align the colors on each side of the cube, breaking the old record (held by its sibling, the Cubestormer 2) by more than two seconds. The best time a puny human can muster? 5.5 seconds, by Mats Valk of the Netherlands. Earlier this week, researchers at Oxford published a report predicting that nearly half of all U.S. workers will eventually be replaced by automatons. The top occupations in danger of being replaced by software: loan officers, receptionists, and paralegals. Those with relative job security include chiropractors, choreographers, and the clergy. At least some of us have a prayer of staying employed.

Wireless Everything?

If the internet and phone services are wireless, why in the world do we still have wired electricity? It's not actually putting electricity in the air. What we're doing is putting a magnetic field in the air. It works like this: WiTricity build a "Source Resonator" -- a coil of electrical wire that generates a magnetic field when power is attached. If another coil is brought close, an electrical charge can be generated in it. No wires required. In the house of the future, wire-free energy transfer could be as easy as wireless internet. If all goes to WiTricity's plans, smartphones will charge in your pocket as you wander around, televisions will flicker with no wires attached, and electric cars will refuel while sitting on the driveway. WiTricity have already demonstrated their ability to power laptops, cell-phones, and TVs by attaching resonator coils to batteries -- and an electric car refueller is reportedly in the works. Talk about exciting.